Invited the gnomes in our neighbor's garden to take up residence on our roof deck, but they said that there are too many air elementals there.

What we need is one, cosmic social medium that will not engage in rivalries and competitive campaigns, because all other religions are engaged in those already.

Benjie arrived from Bulacan with Kichiro Mayuzumi's second sack of dog food.

Hoping that Angelique arrives from university soon. We have an appointment with two, special, lawyer friends who are drafting my last will and testament.

I bought this because I thought I could be proud of it, it being perhaps the only theme-park icon in my country. My sister and I used to call it Merlin, but its name, apparently, is Eldar.

From the Internet: "Eldar is both a Hebrew first/last name meaning 'god resides' and a rare Norse first name meaning 'Warrior who fights with fire' (Eld+ar (ar=Harjar)) Eld=fire. It is also a name meaning 'ruler' in the Turkic language. 'El' means state or country in Turkic language, 'dar' is a suffix from the Persian language."

A Hebrew wizard who fights with fire! The Internet source failed to indicate that "El" is also one of the 72 Names of God.

Why did they name him that?

The doll, moreover, is really a teddy bear dressed up as a human being. Why? Because its lower body, which has no underwear, will tend to look obscene?

I once saw a documentary that showed how, in carnivals, toppling an entire pyramid of cans with a ball entitles one to a giant, stuffed toy. The documentary showed how one of the cans is rigged and cannot be made to topple.

This seems to exist in at least some stalls in Enchanted Kingdom, Santa Rosa, Laguna. The SAME CAN refuses to topple. Someone should investigate it, because it is unfair to the paying public.

I used to have a co-worker, A., whom two American officers disliked so much that he was eventually compelled to resign from his job. I recall one incident in which he was wearing a Harvard University T-shirt to work. One of the officers, a Harvard University alumna, looked him up and down and said, "I don't know whether to laugh or to feel insulted." Poor A. didn't even catch the sarcasm, but I did.

In defense of A., I said, "That is a souvenir T-shirt. It was sold in a shop. If your university wants to be so exclusive, tell it to stop selling commercialized T-shirts. You should see them being salvaged from the trash and worn by mendicants, and then, when they are too unwearable, being used as rags. Harvard University rags."

Never begin your day listening to the news, especially if most of it generates negative energy. It will affect your mentality for the day, the entire day.

If you feel that you want to be informed, listen to the news after lunch. All of the news is repetitive anyway.

Atchays resent being given advice by intelligent people. It makes them feel dumb.

When she was department chairperson, she was extremely proud of her list of faculty members with doctorate degrees. She always flaunted that list.

She turned a blind eye to the fact that 80% of those faculty members were HORRIBLE classroom teachers.

It is the distinct pleasure of every true artist to cause great discomfort to institutional thinking.

Unplugged living is fine, but it slows down global progress. Eons ago it was normal. Today it seems to be a manifestation of the defense mechanism isolation, and is attractive to people who can't quite make it in the city, who can't quite handle discrimination, who are tired of fighting for their rights, and who choose to be selective with relationships.

Unplugged vacationing, as opposed to unplugged living, is the solution. Actually it used to be called camping.

And then one can always have the unplugged hour, which can be spent playing a game of Parker Brothers Monopoly. Or the Parker Brothers Ouija Board. And so, as you can see, even one's choice of board game reflects that everyone remains biased, plugged or unplugged.

Missing rainy days and nights when everyone curls up in bed, when quilts and crocheted throws and terrycloth robes look and feel just right, when the balcony grilles sparkle with liquid sapphires, when scented candles glow in colored-glass vessels, and when a cup of brewed coffee is a complete experience.

Good morning, Cubao!

A sky overcast with pineapple-colored clouds.

Quite exciting--W. bought me The Phantom of the Temple, The Emperor's Pearl, and The Chinese Maze Murders.

I now need only TWO Judge Dee books to complete my collection--The Monkey and the Tiger and The Haunted Monastery. Alas, they are Graham Brash editions, which are now very hard to find!

Going to bed with The Chinese Lake Murders.

Sometimes it is pointless to argue, except that it has never occurred to anyone that everyone could be right.

Dinner with Angelique, Aubrey, and S. at M.'s cafe.

Sending Benjie back to Bulacan to buy a second sack of dog food for Kichiro Mayuzumi.

Enchanted Kingdom is such a Third-World theme park. It does not have a paging system and insists that everything on its P.A. system is "pre-recorded". When someone is missing, the guest relations officer, who seems more interested in acquiring group bookings than extending service to patrons who have already paid up, will always tell reporters of the missing persons that their "procedure" is to obtain a description of the missing person and then relay that to guards stationed about.

What if a fire suddenly broke out somewhere? How would they inform the crowds which places to avoid? A PUBLIC PLACE WITHOUT A PAGING SYSTEM IS LIKE A BUILDING WITHOUT AN EMERGENCY EXIT.

Every case of a missing person is a UNIQUE case, and no "procedure" should apply to it.

Finished rereading The Chinese Gold Murders.

Now rereading The Chinese Lake Murders.

Back from groceries.

Chito, Chevy, and Vinci visited.

Benjie arrived with a sack of dog chow for Kichiro Mayuzumi. It is quite annoying that his food is available ONLY in Bulacan.

Good noon, Cubao! Slept ten hours last night and it was a true luxury.

Granddaughters at school.

Lunch with S. at M.'s cafe.

Off to do groceries in a few.

Back from Santa Rosa, Laguna.

Good morning, Cubao!

Set the alarm at 7:00 AM.

Family excursion to Enchanted Kingdom, which I hadn't been to for the longest time.

We want to be back home before sundown.

Dinner with Angelique at M.'s cafe. Aubrey sat with us but didn't feel like having anything after a heavy snack.

S. is at Sining Kamalig Ali Mall to find out who ended up with my painting Angelus.

Back from the Castle of Baking and Confectionery. My sister bought the granddaughters a bar of bitter chocolate as huge as a sheet of pad paper.

Searching for more opal cabochons for Angelique.

Spent the entire morning with my sister from Sydney.

Lunch with three sisters, Aubrey, and S. at M.'s cafe.

Angelique on her way home from university.

We might visit the Castle of Baking and Confectionery later this afternoon to check out what they have.

There are no winners where there are no losers.

Good morning, Cubao!

Bright and sunny, and the day promises to be a busy one for the district. Heavy traffic in the streets outside.

Night Classes

Aubrey came home from school with high fever. We are not joining my sisters on the scheduled museum tour tomorrow.

Finished rereading The Chinese Bell Murders.

Now rereading The Chinese Gold Murders.

Successfully healed the man with a foot inexplicably covered with sores. He'd been picking star apples from a neighbor's tree and accidentally harmed an earth elemental. It took five sessions to heal him completely.

I must mention that, for this particular case, I used Regina Cieli Estrada's magical oil blend that she calls dragon's blood oil. It is very effective, particularly when stored on an altar.

You are always in the right place at the right time. It is a corollary of karma.

Today you will see someone who will remind you of someone else, and the memory will linger through your bedtime.

Pets patrol your house and premises from spirits. If your pets are fast asleep, that is an indication that your house is clean.

Scent is a form of apparel.

Giving is a pleasure that has not been learned, mastered, and enjoyed by everyone.

Healing others can prevent you from getting sick.

Slept eight hours last night and would have slept some more, except that my sisters had me roused to get dressed for our lunchtime reunion.

The worst student of all is the eternal seeker, for he really seeks not knowledge but the companionship of someone who abandoned him long ago.

It is the photographer, not the viewer of his photographs, who is the true voyeur.

Good afternoon, Cubao!

Back from yet another family reunion.

I have realized that, when I am with family or close friends, I have no time for and no interest in going on-line.

Dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, J., and S.

G. arrived later and connected the relocated desktop computer to our broadband with a blue cable.

Kichiro needs another sack of dog food, but this time food for two-year-old-doggies-and-above.

More progress on The Chinese Bell Murders. It is quite sad that the Perennial/HarperCollins editions seem to have the most typos.

Back from the Sitio Catacutan Market with salami and baloney.

Benjie is changing the lighting fixtures on the roof deck.

We are moving another etagere, and then the huge whiteboard, into the office.

Canvasing marble tops, real marble tops, for my writing table.

When attending to my family and my home, I drop everything else.

People often claim that they cannot find love, but the truth is that they cannot find love because they have been betrayed and hurt in the past, and so distrust everyone who potentially loves them.

Though unscheduled, a group of young, astral travelers asked for a night class at dawn.

You were there if, in your own dream:

--You were inside an auditorium-type classroom, with a gradated floor.
--There were approximately 30 students.
--Two young women had a plastic bin filled with colorful, craft items.
--I incorporated an emotional truth exercise toward the end of the class, but called a break before that.
--When it was time to go I urged everyone to leave the room, especially those below the age of 18, who, I said, might find it difficult to get a ride home.

Clutter works only if every item within the clutter is expensive, if not priceless.

Good morning, Cubao!

A Happy EDSA Day to all! The celebrations are at a walking distance from our house!

Everyone home. Tomorrow, EDSA Day, is a holiday.

Watched the finale of The Face--a replay of a show that is still so stunning that other fashion shows come across as vulgar in comparison.

Angelique has arrived home from the funeral wake of her old school bus driver. We are waiting for Aubrey, who is still there with her classmates. I gave both of them money in envelopes to hand over to the bereaved family.

Sisig dinner with two sisters, a brother-in-law, S., Benjie, and Benjie's wife at M.'s cafe.

More progress on The Chinese Bell Murders. Lots of quaint temples!  My favorite story there is that one about the monks and the immoral goings-on inside their fabulous temple.

Angelique woke up from a nap and took a late lunch at M.'s cafe. The cafe is a blessing. I don't have to worry about putting a meal together for the family, friends, and guests.

Chito, Chevy, and Vinci visited. Took them to a late lunch at M.'s cafe.

Lunch with Benjie and S. at M.'s cafe.

We have prepared the new office area to accommodate a hidden work area for the granddaughters. The office can therefore be used simultaneously by my granddaughters taking turns, an apprentice, and myself.

Tiny House rules!

Good morning, Cubao!

Benjie doing the upstairs rooms and S. doing the downstairs rooms.

Dinner with Aubrey and S. at home.

Then Angelique arrived from her class pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Manaoag , in Pangasinan, and I took her to dinner at M.'s cafe.

Caught the finals of Master Chef Australia 2015 on Lifestyle.

Bought another pair of 14K gold earrings embellished with marquise-cut amethysts and brilliants.

Finished rereading The Lacquer Screen.

Started rereading The Chinese Bell Murders, another favorite. Love that opening scene inside a Ming Dynasty antique and curio shop!

Benjie arrived at noon with our new welding machine. Can't wait to launch into designing iron and grill work items.

Most of the afternoon was spent with my sisters at my sister Alice's apartment.

Performed a second healing session on a man with inexplicable sores on his foot.

On March 1 the Hindus in Bali will celebrate Nyepi a.k.a "The Day of Silence". It is the Balinese New Year, a day for purification and for reconciliation with God, with Nature, with loved ones, and with themselves. The Balinese Hindus practice Catur Brata Penyepian, or "The Four Nyepi Prohibitions": abstinence from fire, abstinence from travel, abstinence from work, and abstinence from entertainment. 

A collector brought good news for me, and bad news about himself, and I am very sad for him.

We've now relocated the imitation Sheraton desk and the apprentice's desk in our new office area, outside my bedroom.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sunshine as mellow as a pitcher of cantaloupe juice.

More progress on The Lacquer Screen.

Business meeting with M. We are deciding what to commence first: the outdoor eating area, the L-shaped bar, or the iron braces for awnings.

One figure collector changed his mind about selling me his Bruce Lee piece, and so I am buying, instead, that fabulous welding machine that I've been needing for so long to complete my iron and grill work projects.

Will just purchase the same figure on-line. It is still available somewhere.

Started rereading The Lacquer Screen and am loving all of those exquisite scenes set in the Tang Dynasty. As to all of the other Judge Dee books I already have, they are enshrined inside a special etagere along with my Bruce Lee altar and other, treasured pieces of chinoisserie.

The sky above Cubao is abuzz with reconnaissance planes and helicopters in preparation for the EDSA Day celebrations.

Lunch with S. at home.

He is commencing today a double charcoal portrait of my niece Katrina and nephew-in-law James, who were married last year.

Also found my Graham Brash publications of Old Tales Retold, Strange Tales from Ancient China, More Strange Tales from Ancient China, Traditional Chinese Festivals, and Legends and Tales from History (1)!

Found my old copies of The Lacquer Screen, (my very first Judge Dee) The Chinese Lake Murders, The Chinese Gold Murders, The Chinese Nail Murders, and The Chinese Bell Murders, the last of which is one of my favorites. Ivy had set them aside for me some time ago!

He is the god of lightning in Asia.

Wearing Chanel No. 5.

S. and I brought a huge table to the laundry room upstairs to function as a utility table.

Eventually moving the washing machine on the ground-floor laundry room to the upstairs laundry room.

"Goodbye means nothing when it's all for show./

So why pretend you've somewhere else to go?/"

--"Don't Sleep in the Subway, Darlin'"

Petula Clark

Only love completely heals a sick child.

A golden, sunny morning in Cubao.

Good morning, Cubao!

S. arrived last night with samples of his works to place in his tiny studio.

My sisters are going shopping today but I never go with other people when they are shopping. It is such a bore.

Bought a pair of 14K earrings with flawless brilliants.

Spent most of the day with two sisters and a sister and brother-in-law from Sydney.

Family reunions and parties in the works.

Didn't bother to photograph the chocolates and foodstuff from Australia, but I must mention that our youngest sister, Sylvia, must have sneaked in a pack of my favorite red licorice for me.

Vanity is not a deadly sin. It is, as a matter of fact, everyone's obligation to look presentable and good at all times in school, at work, at home, and at play--not only for oneself and one's significant other but for one's associates, family, and friends as well, not to mention the general public.

Good noon, Cubao!

Slept eight hours last night and would have risen much later, but my sisters Remi and Alice called me from the driveway because our eldest sister Lourdes and her husband arrived from Australia.

The granddaughters went with them to a Philippine lunch out, but I chose to stay home.

Surfed the Net and saw A LOT of Bruce Lee action figures by Enterbay, Blitzway, and Hot Toys. I felt like a leashed werewolf on the night of a full moon.

I'm planning to order one through a special friend already! (And the rest later--bwahahahahahahahaha!)

My social media are cafeterias that are designed, hopefully, to serve food for thought. Some viewers come in to snack. Some come in for regular meals. Others come only on special occasions, or wait for the smorgasbord.

I am learning from Tiny House, but have decided that, rather than actually live in A tiny house, it is better to convert every room in the house to a tiny house.

Open space is dead space.

If you have ten, maintain the number. It will keep your life and your house organized.

J. arrived. Angelique and I took him to dinner at M.'s cafe.

I had an avocado shake instead of the usual banana shake. Very good!

A talisman is real if, whenever you wear it on your chest, you immediately feel the changes it is making in your life.

Chinese dinner with Angelique and Aubrey.

J. came to visit.

S. is off to spend the weekend with his family. He will be back tomorrow evening.

He finished a double-portrait last night and will commence another one as soon as he returns.

Aubrey made a batch of pancakes with chocolate buttons.

Lunch with Aubrey and S. at M.'s cafe.

Angelique arrived soon after but had taken her lunch on campus.

If you want to keep anyone alive, give them joy once a week.

Never give anyone grief once a week. It will kill them.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Do not make a move to destroy your enemies. Your spirit guides will do that for you, and with efficiency greater than your own.

The spirit asked, "Would you rather be a nobody with good health or a somebody with sickness?"

I chose the former.

With the former, you are a burden to yourself. With the latter, you are a burden to others.

Good morning, Cubao!

Julie Lluch's driver arrived early this morning to pick up a painting I am donating to Norma Liongoren's cause. It's titled Angelus and is one of my favorites, and I hope it goes to someone who will love it as I do.

Here's the link to the happening, shared from Babeth Lolarga's page:

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/222483/norma-liongoren-woman-seasons

Night Classes

Whenever you feel restless or upset, it is not only because something recently happened to cause it or because you saw or heard something and were disturbed.

Always look BEYOND the immediate cause, because the immediate cause is never the real cause. Think of what you may subconsciously be associating with the immediate cause. Go back one year or more. Go back to your childhood.

Watched Master Chef Australia on Lifetime last night, then a Wanted replay on HBO, the direction of which I found mesmerizing, then Magic's Biggest Secret's Finally Revealed 3, which was the most informative episode for me so far because it showed the dollhouse trick that I used in my children's musical Tolda.

Dinner with SS at the cafe while Angelique, Aubrey, and S. had dinner at home.

SS came to consult me about something.

I'm confused. In Los Angeles, "su fi" (master or teacher) is pronounced "soo-fee", but in every wuxia that I watch it is pronounced "shu-fu-oh".

Enjoy what you have, because, what you have, no one else really has.

It is the nature of children to ask you for things, for, despite their electronics, they neither have contacts nor purchasing power.

Your bedroom is your nest, but your house is the tree.

A mind like a labyrinth has walls that can be knocked down.

It is heavenly to be able to sit back, relax, and be a nobody.

Be kind and loving to all children. They see the world through the eyes of God's angels.

Consistency and constancy are the measures of true friendship.

At the same time, know that everything you see as an advantage is also a potential disadvantage.

Trying to complete my Judge Dee collection again. A long time ago I gave many volumes to my sister because I thought that she would appreciate them as I did. As it turned out, she left all of them behind when she flew back home, and they were taken by different compound tenants. Three of those volumes were rare, originally published by the now-defunct Graham Brash of Singapore.

Am now asking my friends in Singapore to reserve the volumes I am still missing. So far one of them has found seven. All new editions, of course, none of them by Graham Brash.

If you have to hunt for something that you need, you may not need it after all.

You know you love someone if you never get tired of that someone.

Always know how to turn every disadvantage to your unique advantage.

Progress in clearing stuff from the studio office. S. and I have now moved the apprentice's desk to a temporary location. Will tackle the big desk tomorrow.

After I consume our bottle of balsamic vinegar I shall buy no more. Angelique and Aubrey don't like it, and neither do their friends. I believe it is because my granddaughters' father is a mortician, and "balsamic" sounds too suspiciously like "embalsamo". Bwahahahahahaha!

The old school service driver of Saint Paul Pasig passed away two nights ago after being in a prolonged coma. He was Angelique's and Aubrey's driver since they were in kindergarten, and Angelique is now 20 going on 21 while Aubrey is 16 going on 17. For the past year or so, the driver's son has been doing the service in his place.

I'd never really met the old driver except to see him on the compound whenever he was asking to see Ivy for our monthly payment, and whenever he was taking my granddaughters to our doorstep under an umbrella on rainy days. He was a real gentleman, and treated his passengers like ladies. He would even carry their schoolbags for them. He loved my granddaughters for some reason, for it was he who gave us Cerefina and Kichiro Mayuzumi.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept eight hours last night.

Two cups of Classic Roast coffee.

S. and I are still moving out clutter from our prospective, new, kitchen area. Gave our huge, 1,000-flowers peach jar to D., and she was ecstatic.

Sometimes a highly-evolved spirit chooses to reincarnate as a simple, unpretentious, and practical person without any philosophical leanings whatsoever, and you discover this only after the person transits from physical life and comes back to say hello.

Started cleaning out Ivy's bedroom, which I aim to gut and convert to a new, guest bedroom.

It is uncanny going through the things of the deceased. His/her demise goes farthest from your mind, and you expect the person to walk in at any time and converse with you. I was touched to discover many of the gifts I gave Ivy carefully placed inside her bedroom and treasured. They are sure signs that she loved me as a father.

Dinner at M.'s cafe with Angelique, Aubrey, and S.

Candidates on campaign think that audiences are under their control, reacting on strategic cues, but, actually, it is the other way around.

The smaller your house, the more you will be able to save money to enjoy other things.

S. is off to the art supply store to buy brushes for his charcoal portraits.

Hang a small, Pagdiwata canoe at your bedroom window and place seven coins, or a multiple of seven coins, in it. It is a Philippine dream-catcher.

In southern Philippines, there is a folk belief that, on certain nights, a golden canoe descends from the mountaintops and delivers blessings to the townspeople. This story was shared with me by Gee Familgan, one of my workshop participants in Cebu, many years ago.

My spiritual son knows how to feed my insanity with even more insanity, but he is the only person who does that to me and I love him very much for it.

Lit nine joss sticks in three different rooms.

S. and I have moved the art bookcase in the studio office aside--the first step toward clearing the room to make way for a new kitchen.

Whenever I interact with other persons, no matter who they are, I always do so as though they were fellow-artists, and that seems to work out very well.

Finished rereading "Murder on New Year's Eve" from Judge Dee at Work. A heart-warming story. I appreciate the precious Judge Dee chronology at the end of the book.

Thursday, Thursday

Good morning, Cubao!

Finished rereading "The Coffins of the Emperor" from Judge Dee at Work last night. It is, possibly, the only Judge Dee story with a homosexual character.

Took Angelique and J. to dinner at M.'s cafe.

The driveway is a-buzz with tenants hanging out for the evening. The dust bin man is garrulous when inebriated.

Lots of fire engines heading west.

Light lanterns not only to guide the way for lost spirits but to remind the living that there are times of darkness on their journeys.

Dinner at M.'s cafe with Aubrey and S. Angelique is waiting for J. to arrive from university. As soon as he arrives I will take them to dinner at the cafe.

Back from Greenhills with S. It has some of the worst B.L.s I ever saw. Most of them were old, grimy, or damaged, and made of cheap plastic. I ended up buying nothing.

The primary function of social media is selling something, and we must all take care that we are not selling ourselves.

Lunch with S. at M.'s cafe.

Angelique and her classmate C. are ordering pizza for lunch. They are working on a class project.

In atchay houses, the living room is, ironically, the deadest space of all. It is meant to be inhabited only on "special occasions" such as when receiving guests, it has the best furniture in the house, children are prevented from going there and messing it up, and it is kept as person-less as possible because its owners want it to look like a photo in a glossy magazine.

Consider the rooms in the extreme corners of your house. None of those rooms should be dead space. There should be a bedroom being used in each corner, or a room that is constantly being used, such as a kitchen.

Always think of your house as a boat that needs to be balanced. This prevents your astral house from toppling over and from receiving unwanted inhabitants.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept eight hours last night. The granddaughters are in school and S. is trying to construct a robot from parts of old appliances and stuff we threw out a few days ago.

Dinner with Angelique, Aubrey, and S. at M.'s cafe.

My son Chito text-messaged. My youngest granddaughter, Chevy, is graduating from kindergarten March 18.

As though in response to the ants in my pants, the young man selling me his Bruce Lee action figure text-messaged me this afternoon and asked me if he could meet me tonight rather than tomorrow night. Of course I said yes. Immediately. Anything for B.L. I always arrive early at any meet-up. While the person I am meeting is wending his way through the crowds I text-message him, "I'm here already. Or do you prefer 'Here na me?'" which always gives him food for thought about my dubious character.

The Cubao Hogwarts Express Station was packed, and so we went to Dairy Queen, where we consummated the deal. He was quite bashful and didn't want to order for himself despite my pressing anything he wanted on him, and so I had the usual strawberry-and-banana blizzard while he told me all about his hobby. He is a real collector and matches the collector type perfectly: neat, fastidious, obsessive compulsive, perhaps a trifle uptight, though he did warm up to me while talking about his other action figures. He always buys three of a kind, keeps two, and sells one. He also has all the websites on his phone, literally at his fingertips, and showed me where the B.L. action figure came from. I was surprised that he uses his real name, but that is really the way to go if one is building a good reputation for oneself as a collector.

He asked me why I am collecting B.L.s. And so, I told him the truth. He didn't bat an eyelash when I told him I have a growing Bruce Lee altar, so I give him 100 points for that!

Your PM:

" Hello Tony, I would like to share with you 3 dreams I have been had, all of which have my late Father in them. I shared these with my sister ______ as well. The first dream, my father was just present in the sidelines, he was in his 40's-50's as far as appearance is concerned. He did not say anything. The second dream he was elderly, the same age as when diagnosed with Cancer, about 70. He was weak and I had him on a jet ski that I was driving in the ocean. I was taking him to a place to get treatment. The third dream, which happened the following night, he was fighting with my mother and they were going to separate. I told them I would act as an intermediary between them so that the conflict be minimized. I inform my sisters in the dream as well. My father then proceeded to organize his belongings in preparation for separation from my mother. I dont dream of my father and in the last week I've had three dreams if him. What could it mean? Thank you"


My reply:

Hello ___!

On the surface it appears that your three-part dream is about: non-communication, illness and preparation for death, and separation. No worries, everything is metaphorical.

This dream is not about your father, however. It is about the present state of your ego. Jet-skiing over water indicates that you are denying and skimming over your true emotions at this time in your life. The over-all message of your psyche is that the image of fatherhood you have internalized for so long is now being phased out and revised, in light of the fact that you are living a life so unlike your father's, and must address many new problems that he never encountered when he was alive.

Finished rereading "The Wrong Sword" from Judge Dee at Work. It was depressing to me back then, it was depressing to me all over again.

I have never been as relaxed, as content, as forgiving, and as giving in my entire life as now.

I have come to realize that all those theater rehearsals and performances I had to attend, all those novels and books and art exhibits I slaved to complete, all those Spirit Quests I had to go on, all those deadlines I had to meet for work, and all those functions and receptions I had to attend combined to make me a harsh, hot-headed, control freak--and possibly an impossible person to live with. I perceived all of those as activities that prevented me from giving quality time to the people I really love--my family.

Blessed are the people who know me now, and who neither met nor knew me as I was in the past.

S. is off to buy art materials. We are both hoping that he can use the studio porch as his art office and be successful.

Feeling like a kid with ants in his pants <--------- moi

Can't wait for Tuesday to become Wednesday, because I have a Wednesday meeting with a young man who is selling me his Bruce Lee action figure.

Every cosmic artist creates works outside the frames of reference of religion and nationalism.

Fantasy can torture the mind yet heal the heart, but, in either case, be careful to avoid an overdose.

There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Finished rereading "The Two Beggars" from Judge Dee at Work. A charming story, with beggars, courtesans, orchids, brush paintings, and all.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept eight hours last night.

We are going to fix up the side porch to the studio this afternoon to serve as S.'s portrait showcase. S. will purchase his art materials after lunch.

Our studio porch sure has been metamorphosing. It used to be our garage sale outlet. Next week it will be a showcase for S.'s pencil sketches.

Whenever I see a replay of Despicable Me I am reminded of the last Animation Council of the Philippines festival I attended for the office. We provided American animation features for screening.

Somehow the youngest girl in the feature always reminds me of Aubrey when she was three years old.

Never travel when you are ill. Even if you are going on vacation, the additional stress will make your condition worse.

Wearing Kiehl's Original Musk Oil.

Mysticubao

February 22, the 15th day of the lunar year, is part of the long celebration of Chinese New Year. That day is called the Festival of Lanterns. It was customary for everyone to construct a lantern and light it in the evening for an auspicious year ahead, before the family sat down to a sumptuous dinner.

We can't be bothered to make our own lanterns, but I certainly can buy some from that lovely shop of Chinese curios at Shopwise.

Strange how, in the West, people chill wine before drinking, whereas, in ancient China, wine was warmed in clay jugs before drinking.

Finished rereading "Murder on the Lotus Pond" in Judge Dee at Work.

To the ancient Chinese, taking in the fragrance of a fresh rose abates one's intoxication from wine.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a white bed sheet spread out to bleach under the sun.

Night Classes

Knowledge requires effort, like planting a seed, watering it, and caring for the plant as it grows.

Wisdom follows easily, when the tree is full grown, blossoms, and bears fruit.

The key to success is being able to live your life on three simultaneous tracks: your career, your family, and your heart's passion.

Allow others to feed your heart, for it, too, is entitled to meals and snacks.

In the last analysis, the winner wins because he was a winner already from the very beginning.

We perceive the weather as a traitor, but the weather perceives us as traitors, because it wants to do what it wants, not what we want.

Healthy food is your best medicine.

Psychological terrorism is extremely damaging because its effects can last more than a lifetime.

Lunch with Angelique, Aubrey, and S. at M.'s cafe.

While Ryan and Peachie were having a late lunch with me at M.'s cafe yesterday afternoon, they told me stories of other Spirit Questors and workshop participants from previous years, many of whom I could no longer remember. Among them was a young man named Peter, whose name and face I could not even recall. According to them Peter died years ago. Most probably of a stroke, they said, because he worked too hard.

Last night I sat at my desktop and a young man appeared on my right. It was Peter. "Oh--it's you!" I said, and I saw him exactly as he looked like when he was a participant in my workshops.

He came only to tell me what he really died of.

Retrieved from storage my grandfather Isabelo da Silva's 1800s David Rodgers silverware. They need a good polishing.

My grandfather was a high official of the Freemasons during his time. He was Provincial Treasurer of Pampanga, and, as a matter of fact, Silva Park in San Fernando, Pampanga is named after him. Quite strange, though, that none of us have ever dared go and see what the park looks like.

Jesus and his disciples preached and practiced compassion, the healing of the body and the spirit, and love and respect for God the Father. Yet, they were NOT practicing a religion.

They practiced Judaism, though they were considered eccentric, if not rebellious, Jews.

Wearing Chanel No. 5.

Celebrating Light

In olden times, artists and writers worked at night by candlelight, then gaslight.

Today the technology of light is reaching its apogee, and I am having a love affair with it. Our rooms have fluorescents and incandescents, pendant, table, and floor lamps, spots, colored lights, atmospheric lights, even night lights. I also have bulbs that burn as bright as the sun.

At 64 I do not wear distance glasses, though I do wear over-the-counter reading glasses when doing close work. I believe that, because of more and more developments in the production of light, we shall have less and less problems with poor eyesight.

When you oversleep, it is because your brain needs it. Sleeping is the only true relief from stress.

Good morning, Cubao!

And a Happy Valentine's Day to all my Google+ Followers!

I spent an hour last night rereading "He Came with the Rain" from Judge Dee at Work.

S. came home. He curtailed his attendance of the creative writing workshop in Kamuning.

Of course. I wasn't the resource person.

Finished rereading two stories from Judge Dee at Work, "Five Auspicious Clouds" and "The Red Tape Murder".

Quite a day. S. and I cleaned out part of the upstairs walk-in closet and threw a lot of junk away (and we are resuming work tomorrow to hopefully finish that particular task). Ryan and Peachie, two Spirit Questors from previous years, and their six-year-old daughter visited; we had a late lunch at M.'s cafe and then I was only too happy to give them two framed paintings, two antique, celadon Kwan Yin statues, a bronze goddess statuette from Bali, a Pagdiwata boat with oars from Palawan, two containers for magical implements, a blue sphere for peace and harmony, two pieces of Sinukuan, and four stones from Siquijor Island. I may have given them other things but can't remember now what they are; neither, I am sure, did Bilbo Baggins remember everything he'd given away.

Then Angelique and J. arrived to place Angelique's Valentine's Day rose on the family altar for Ivy. They left again for their Valentine's Day dinner (they are celebrating it a day early to avoid the crush tomorrow).

S. went off to Kamuning to attend a lecture-discussion on creative writing, and I gave him part of his salary.

Now Aubrey is off to a birthday dinner in Eastwood. The Grab car was more expensive than a taxi, but, hey, she's my granddaughter, and I chose the Grab car.

I am now home alone, relaxed, serene, and centered after all of those French entrances and exits, but that is exactly how I want to celebrate the eve of Valentine's Day!

I still dream of traveling through the Philippines as an itinerant disguised as a poor man, accompanied by two or three students, the way ancient teachers did in China. I am certain that our journey would be filled with new encounters, new knowledge, new insights, and adventures beyond anyone else's imagination.

My antique, brass Dos Pojas talisman and my antique, sterling silver Dies Pojas talisman are now in the possession of a secret collector. I purchased them at high-end prices but am glad that they are being kept together, as they should be, by their new owner.

The Wands must continue pointing to the earth.

If you have eight, small (or any size) Saint Benedict medals, place one each in every corner of your house. The other four you should wear on your person as multiple pendants or a key chain.

The number four represents the four directions.

I now use Dictation in my messaging. It works fine, though I have not tried it with different accents and different languages. I use it mainly to reply "Ok"

BECAUSE,

on my keyboard, "P" is on the right side of "O" and "L" is on the right side of "K". When I'm not paying attention "Ok" becomes encoded as "Pl" and the person on the other end thinks I am replying "P_____ I__" in Bahasa Philippines, and therefore gets quite upset. Bwahahahahahahahaha!

My fb account is closed to the public and includes only my relatives, old friends, new friends, and students.

My Google+ account is open to the entire world.

Though the Walls and Pages of both seem to be identical because I may sound equally critical on both, they are not. There are things I tell the world that I would never tell my closest friend. Bwahahahahahaha!

Some people buy paintings that are masterpieces of technique.

Other people buy paintings because they are simply but hauntingly beautiful.

Still other people buy paintings because the artist is their friend.

Yet other people buy paintings because, while they do not know the artist personally, the artist has an interesting life history and character.

And there are other people who buy paintings because they need to decorate their walls.

In all of these cases, as long as the paintings were executed well with professional-grade materials, they will accrue in value over time like jewelry.

All good paintings are born equal, because they are illustrations of Creation.

Good morning, Cubao!

Bright and sunny with pet birds merrily chirping in the aviary.

Slept eight hours last night. Angelique has no classes today and Aubrey is attending a birthday lunch somewhere in Quezon City. S. and I will do the upstairs guest bedroom and walk-in closet today.

Overhaul of back area completed! A lot of junk had been set aside in storage boxes and forgotten from when major construction was done two years ago. Since I was not yet retired at the time I wasn't home to see what was being put in storage. I threw everything out except for two or three treasures I discovered. S. is now giving the back area floor and walls a good scrubbing.

Whenever you feel down, wake up to watch the sunrise, and rise along with it.

Two Spirit Questors from years ago might visit tomorrow. I'm planning to give them a painting and other stuff. I need to move out things from the studio office and the studio in order to relocate our kitchen to those two rooms.

The sniper shoots but misses.

In ancient times, people mistook tornadoes for dragons.

Actually, they are.

Crackling pork rind delivery. We shall probably have that tonight.

Getting ready to overhaul the back area now.

Renewing my MTRCB Deputy ID, meaning that I have to submit a monthly report the rest of the year.

When I was working, the office frequently sent me to travel and do workshops and heritage conservation projects all over the country. Most of my co-workers envied, if not resented, me for it, but the irony is that I do not enjoy traveling.

Now I can watch as many movies as I want. Most of my friends envy me for it, but, again, the irony is that I do not enjoy getting dressed to go out and watch movies. I only end up shopping afterward.

Had my photo taken at the Sitio Catacutan picture shop for my application form. I insisted on having ONLY two 2" x 2" photos as required and NOT the entire photo package. I do not like taking home excess ID photos that only get strewn about the house and thrown away later, especially long after I no longer look like myself in those photos.

Somehow this turned out to be my soy bean day. Had a tall glass of tajo with lots of sago and brown sugar syrup from the usual vendor who sails into the compound every morning, and bought a bottle of chocolale-flavored soy milk and a block of tofu.

S. and I had fried tofu for lunch. I had mine with stuffed green olives and balsamic vinegar. S. had his with a salted egg.

Finally bought a blue bean bag for Aubrey's bedroom, which has blue walls and is in our blue tower.

The brown bean bag now goes to Angelique's bedroom, which has yellow walls and is in our yellow tower.

Whenever you leave your phone attuned to your social media, you are not only being reflected as being on-line, you are unnecessarily expending your battery charge as well.

There are many kinds of companionship, and so you never have cause to be lonely.

You feel lonely because you see only yourself, and not the others who are always there for you.

It is all right to have many spirit guides, for there is even a Name that sends an army of angels.

Good morning, Cubao!

Bright and sunny.

House cleaning continues. The back area is scheduled for an overhaul today.

Dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and S.

Very good progress on the picture puzzle.

A thorough overhaul of the kitchen. Threw away a lot of stuff we haven't used in ages and no longer need.

Never buy kitchen stuff only to set aside. They are not antiques after all, and they end up being a waste of money.

Lunch with S. at M.'s cafe.

Two more hours on the jigsaw puzzle.

Good morning, Cubao!

Granddaughters in school and S. commencing a general cleaning of the house. He will stay with us for a few days.

Your PM:

"Hi, Sir Tony... I would just like to know the story behind why some of the 'spirits' in our house would copy the faces of the family members residing in our house. I, for one, have witnessed this in several occasions already. Many of our helpers in the house before usually would leave because of the sighting they see. These beings always have fun doing this with those who are not part of our family especially strangers. Also, my nephew would always play with some of these beings. Some, he likes. Some, he is afraid of. He is a pretty smart kid for his age so we know very well that he is not making up those stories whenever he says that he would like to play with his invisible 'playmate/s'. I would like to know if that is healthy for a three-year old kid. And if not, what we could do to prevent or stop it. Thank you so much."


My reply:

Hello _____!

"Doppelgangers" are actually playful elementals who like disguising themselves as real people. They can imitate not only physical appearances but voices. Hence, it is possible to hear a family member calling your name even if that family member is not even in your house.

My suggestions are:

1. Have statuettes around the house that the elementals can "reside in". They like Dresden shepherdesses and baigneuses a la Tampinco.

2. Have a small gnome house or toy house in the garden or yard for the same purpose.

3. Ignore whatever your nephew says and do not make a big deal out of his invisible playmates. He will eventually outgrow this, especially when he interacts with real, human friends.

Do these and report back to me with the results.

Your Hangout message:

"Goodmorning ___.. Just want to consult something and I need your help. 

"1. Part of my dream last monday night was seeing myself working in Starbucks which is my previous job. I was at the bar with some people that seems new at work. I noticed what they're doing isn't correct which I confronted one of them and told 'Why is it like that?'. Then I am buttoning my white long sleeves on. While the surrounding kept going (on doing wrong things) and it made me upset. Suddenly I am walking and i saw my former store manager( Starbucks). I remember asking her why are those happening?. And she just answered ' Hindi ko nga alam eh'. Her look is different, short cut hair, a more tomboyish looks. 

"2. I've been dreaming constantly one of my distant but former close cousin Jommel. He lives in United state now and he always appear in my dreams. 

"3. Last Sunday night my lower back suddenly just got pain.From out of reason and until now but it alrdy subsiding.Hopefullybefore my work resume i can be fit and able. Does 'someone' cause it to me?  Again,Sorry for disturbing you.. I hope you can shed a light things for me...Thank you ___. Thank you"


My reply:

Hello _______!

1. Your dream summarizes your present career situation. You seem dissatisfied with how things are run, as you see them from the perspective of experience. However, things are out of your jurisdiction and control. Your feminine side indicates that she does not have the solution to the problem. While not included in your dream, it is your masculine side that holds the key. Your present choices, therefore, are remaining a passive observer or proactively changing things. Since you are employed in a foreign country, I suggest that you go with the former for the meantime.

2. Your cousin appears in your dreams not literally as your cousin. You need to check out what he means to you within the context of your dream "vocabulary". What does your cousin represent in your life? Could he be your alter ego? Could he be appearing instead of you, because your appearance would be upsetting to you? Could he be your image of failure, could he be your image of success? Sometimes the psyche employs the defense mechanism of displacement so that the impact of its message is indirect.

3. I scanned your lower back and saw that the pain is most probably kidney-related. Drink more water than soda and alcohol. Drink LOTS of water and be kind to your kidneys, and avoid all kinds of salty food.

I hope I have been helpful to you.

S. arrived. He will help clean house the next four days.

Dinner with Angelique, Aubrey, J., and S. at M.'s cafe. Angelique and J. thought of having coffee elsewhere after but changed their minds later and decided to stay home.

An hour working on the picture puzzle with S.

A person who values antiques has a lot more spirituality than a person who does not.

He goes with a bang.

House renovation TV shows are distressing to me whenever I see the players rushing to meet a deadline, making my viewing most unpleasant. Why the rush? Why rush a house that people will live in for years? Don't they know that every house is different, and that no two projects can have the same pace? I would completely hate it if workers rushed the renovation of my house.

Which is more important, setting a deadline and meeting it for a TV shoot or enjoying the task and putting as much thought into action?

Those designers and renovators are only infusing houses with imprints of their anxiety, their frayed emotions, their ill will, and their verbal abuse. No wonder some of those houses end up being haunted.

Sometimes, a designer who says that he/she will "create a cool art piece" out of improvised materials will come up only with tiresome junk.

The bedroom I slept in when I was a little boy, in San Fernando, Pampanga, had a tall window that looked out onto the front yard of our ancestral house. The last thing I would see before going to sleep at night and the first thing I would see when I woke up before sunrise was the star apple tree outside, its branches and leaves forming patterns against the faintly glowing sky. I always saw actual pictures, including scenes from my future life, in those patterns. Because of this I have always believed that it is possible to scry on the patterns of branches and leaves of trees against the sky.

"Wow!" will be terribly overused by the end of this year.

To prevent yourself from using it too much, imagine the mouth pronouncing "Wow!" as an anus expanding and contracting. As a matter of fact, similar muscles are employed both by the mouth and by the anus. Focus and try to make your anus pronounce "Wow!"

Too too gross? I see you cringing while reading this.

That was the point. Bwahahahahahahaha!

Wow!

Love hearing our neighbor's myna bird's mating call several doors away. It mingles with the chirping of the pet birds in our aviary, and makes me feel that I am inside a tropical forest.

My second choice to a captain's cabin bedroom was doing up my room beach-resort style--with lots of bamboo and tie-dyed fabric--but the latter look is too ephemeral and really harder to maintain.

Sometimes, when you are two steps ahead of your supervisors, they will say that you are very efficient and that you are indispensable.

When you are two steps ahead of your supervisors ALL OF THE TIME, they will resent it and do everything they can to put you down.

Therefore, hypocritical though it may be, you need to pretend that you appreciate learning new things from your supervisors from time to time.

Good morning, Cubao!

Doing a major purchase of groceries today. Aubrey in school but university faculty is on retreat, so I might have lunch with Angelique at the center.

Dinner with Angelique and Aubrey at M.'s cafe. The staff decorated the cafe for Valentine's week. M.'s niece, who recently passed the board for engineers, is also celebrating her birthday there later tonight.

Let Nature Do Her Thing

With all these mosquito-borne viruses in vogue, have you not considered letting Nature do her thing to keep you protected?

As long as we have no visitors coming I allow spiders to spin their webs to entrap all kinds of insects, especially mosquitoes. I have noted that spiders are intelligent. They know EXACTLY WHERE to spin their webs. You can always sweep off the webs with a broom when company is coming. The spiders don't get upset--they go ahead and re-spin their webs after company's gone!

And, yes, I never get rid of house lizards.

Frogs in the garden are also an option, but they are quite noisy and tend to leap all over the place!

Mosquitoes are already entrapped in these webs.

Now you know why wizards and warlocks love spider webs. Bwahahahahahahaha!

Tony Perez's Art of War: At the workplace, remain silent when someone unjustly criticizes you, plays a prank on you, or provokes you. Do not react immediately. Do not even argue and insist on having the last word. Instead, develop and improve yourself while engineering things so that the enemy eventually falls into his/her own trap and eats his/her own words.

Looking down at the lower status of your enemy and watching the expression on his/her face is one of the most precious moments in life.

If "Absolutely!" was the most decadent word of 2015, "Wow!" will be the most decadent expression of 2016.

Good morning, Cubao!

Chilly night, chilly dawn, chilly morning, like a crisp springtime spell in a land that has four  seasons.

1:50 AM. Finished rereading Necklace and Calabash a.k.a. The Emperor's Necklace. I just couldn't stop. Rereading Judge Dee at Work, a compendium of different stories, tomorrow.

Spending hours savoring the text of Necklace and Calabash. Every Judge Dee novel is like a box of assorted chocolate candies.

The best novels, to me, can never--and should never--be recreated on film, for no film can ever substitute for my imagination.

Like a little boy's jaws on bubble gum, the washing machine chewed out all the dirt and suds from the batch of clothes.

Lit 18 evening joss sticks.

He died because he was totally appalled by the way people pushed him to go on and on, intending to drain him of all his personal resources.

Despite his wealth of experience he could not believe that there were such people in this world.

I love the Chinese music passages in Justin Bieber's "Hit the Ground" whether they were deliberately worked in or not.

Deep-tissue massage.

Afterward, P. visited. He is such a gentle boy; I met him when he was but a Psychology major at FEU during the annual assembly of the American Studies Association of the Philippines. He still lives in his old boarding house in Quiapo while working in Makati. I gave him a reading and a brief lesson, and I also gave him a piece of Sinukuan. Since I am planning to seal off and convert the rear part of the house eventually to bed space for employees, I pledged to take him in as soon as the space is ready.

Caught The Amazing Race 25 on AXN. This episode is set in Naic, Cavite. It was fascinating to see the contestants undergo tasks I myself would have failed at. It looks like the next episode is set in another part of the Philippines.

The winner is the one who looks most like a monkey.

It seems to me sometimes that bipolars and atchays share one thing in common: they never apologize for anything.

I know of many Filipinos who start climbing walls when they can't have their noon and evening rice. They just can't be convinced that there are alternatives such as bread, pasta, and potato.

Is this a product of habit? Of addiction? Of cultural conditioning?

I've had to eat only an apple or a candy bar for lunch in the past and it was no big deal not to have rice.

A man undergoing pain and suffering ages ten years.

Lunch with the granddaughters at M.'s cafe.

Noted a new crowd.

Good morning, Cubao!

Very bright, very sunny, but the chill is still there.

Day firecrackers in the neighborhood for Chinese New Year.

Lit 17 joss sticks in three separate rooms.

Finished rereading The Willow Pattern. Now rereading Necklace and Calabash, the last Judge Dee novel completed by Robert van Gulik before he passed away.

The Judge Dee novels are the books I will enjoy rereading many times through the end of this lifetime.

You were doing Spirit Quests on your own and on the side without my knowledge and approval. Now you wonder why I have so many awards and accomplishments that have absolutely nothing to do with Spirit Questing. It is because I knew when to rest from Spirit Questing and set aside time to follow other pursuits.

Now all you have is your Spirit Questing, and that is hardly anything substantial in your curriculum vitae.

The one and only time that I met you, I saw that you were exactly like me when I was your age. Any time now I expect you to come running to me and ask me for guidance regarding the obstacles you face.

Dinner with Aubrey at M.'s cafe. J.'s mother invited Angelique to have dinner at J.'s house.

It is pointless to have images of the animals in the Chinese zodiac if you do not have an image of Buddha as well.

The dust bin man has a tenacious green thumb. He cannot pass by an empty flower plant without placing flora in it. After my Borneo creeper died I woke up one morning and saw that he planted a shrub with white flowers in its pot. Today the flowers have gone elsewhere, and in the pot he planted luscious oregano.

I have thought of hiring him to plant vegetables and herbs on our roof deck.

Lit 12 joss sticks in three separate rooms.

Good afternoon, Cubao!

Rose 11:58 noon.

Chito, Chevy and Vinci visited.

Night Classes

The rock will be riven in three pieces.

Watching preparations for the Lunar New Year on China's CCTV. Lots of colorful lanterns and decor and food, food, food! Everyone was walking around in heavy jackets, which gave me an indication  of how cold it is there.

I feel like jumping into a cab and going to Ongpin to shop for stuff, but I dread the crowds I will encounter there. Will probably go a few days after the festivities. Retirement has spoiled me; I will have only things that I can have my way.

Watched the first episode of American Ninja Warrior 5: Venice (California) last night, and it was most distressing to me because I always want every participant to win. My heart sank whenever someone failed.

After that was a Japanese movie, Veteran, on RED, which proved equally distressing because it was dark and violent and featured a lot of ill will.

Lit nine joss sticks inside three separate rooms. Yes, this is the time to begin.

Good, high-quality, joss sticks, when lit, smell like the tin foil of chocolate coins.

The afternoon sighs like a bedridden patient looking out the window.

If you are female and reciting the oracion of GEATAO, do NOT change the line "HARI ANG DADAAN" to "REYNA ANG DADAAN". The HARI does not refer to the person reciting the oracion but to the spirit whose name is GEATAO.

If an oracion is not for you, you will be incapable of memorizing it, no matter how hard you try to.

Why is it necessary for broadcast stations to develop rivalry with one another? Isn't that being anti-service-oriented?

Poorer by P36,000 because I bought Angelique an Apple laptop for her thesis year.

Lunch with Angelique at M.'s cafe. Aubrey off to a buffet with a classmate because they'd been craving Japanese food.

Angelique and J. off to a debut this evening.

As for myself, I did my laundry and am thinking of pursuing the completion of the Bruce Lee jigsaw puzzle. And will be continuing my rereading of The Willow Pattern, of course.

The sky is a cube of ice, gradually melting and dropping fine, sporadic showers on our roof deck.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night, then woke up to a rainy day.

One way to lose weight is to make lunch a very modest repast.

You don't have to wear your talismans. They can be left in your bedroom, or even placed on a photograph of you.

There was a turtle that we found in the garden of the old main house when I was a little boy. The male servants drilled a hole in the rear part of its shell and tied it to a tree, but it managed to get away. Years later, when I was in college, we saw it on the compound once again but decided not to capture it. My nephews came upon it when they themselves were little. One of them placed it inside a cage but, as before, it escaped. It is many more years later, and additional buildings have been erected on the compound. The garden is no more, and we no longer see the turtle, though I know it did not perish, for it very well could outlive all of us. Could it have moved to a neighbor's garden? Could it have retreated to some secret, subterranean cavern?

Recently, while buying bird vitamins at the Shopwise pet shop, I saw an entire tank filled with turtles. It was fascinating to see them dive underwater and resurface to crawl on the rockscapes. I remembered the old turtle, and reminded myself how, like the shrimp that I saw in the Emerald Garden tank before I retired, unusually sentient turtles are.

Sitio Catacutan Market pork tocino, just right and not too well done, served with capers and balsamic vinegar for dinner.

It was disturbing to listen to him rattling off his answers in a monotone. He reminded me so much of the con artists who jump on buses and tell memorized stories of how they got laid off their jobs, hoping that the passengers will give them some money.

The god of iron said, to avoid being in a road or vehicular accident, nail a horseshoe or any decorative item made of iron, above any of your doors. The nail should be rusty, because it simulates the color of dried blood.

Whether you do this or not is up to you and not up to me.

February is Arts Month to the unenlightened, for it is Arts Month every month to every artist.

No religion should ever condemn superstition, for without superstition no one can be religious.

Sex is transient.

It is really a blessing that Google+ is hard to navigate and use, for that is exactly what keeps immature people off it.

The Wands must continue pointing to the earth.

A feeling of love can never be denied, no matter which way you try to.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Always scare your students with what you are capable of until they pee in their pants. At the end of the day look round your almost-empty classroom. The few who remain sitting there are they who deserve to learn everything you know.

It is honest, hard work that makes every man a success. Magic merely expedites it by cutting away obstacles with an astral machete.

This morning the sky has a layer of titanium white tinged with cerulean, and the clouds are laid on in heavy impasto with God's palette knife.

The sky is always an unfinished canvas, that is why Creation never ends.

Good morning, Cubao!

Bright and sunny again.

Waiting for my son Chito and my grandchildren Chevy and Vinci to arrive.

My son Chito and grandchildren Chevy and Vinci are visiting tomorrow. My son is hooked on the sisig at M.'s cafe.

I never felt so important as when I retired. I felt that I had finally arrived. My curriculum vitae was as good as it could get, and it became pointless to add any more accomplishments to it. Finally, also, I was able to be even more selective about the friends and contacts I associate with, and the projects I get myself involved in. Looking back now, I see that there were activities and endeavors that I should have considered utterly below me, and, of course, I shall never engage in those ever again. What better timing, moreover, than to live in a house that I renovated (and can still further renovate) to my satisfaction?

The successful man is not he who becomes rich and famous. It is he who retires surrounded by everyone and everything he loves and wants, and thus can he die peacefully and happily at any time.

I have learned, over time, that saving up for something is just as enjoyable as finally acquiring what you saved up for. There are times when, after saving up, I discover that the item is no longer available, and I am initially disappointed but decide that it was not meant for me and that I had fun saving it up for it anyway.

Sometimes saving up is a reminder of how exciting life is.

Sometimes finally acquiring what you save up for is a reminder that, when an apex is reached, nothing follows but a denouement and death.

At long last the god of iron spoke to me.

Paid Henry a visit, then went back home and finished reading Murder in Canton.

Re-reading another Judge Dee novel now, The Willow Pattern. I know it will revive my interest in vases.

Rain.

Many people remember Rolando S. Tinio for many things, but there are two material things he had that are quite unforgettable to me: the first was his frayed, velvet script binder that he brought to all rehearsals, and the second was an exquisite, ballpoint-pen drawing he made of an antique chair, which was the first ballpoint-pen drawing I had ever seen.

Actually I can understand why some men are more obsessed with shoes and wristwatches than with shirts and pants.

Yogi Bear
Huckleberry Hound
Clarabelle Cow
Sylvester
Pluto

Who will win the amazing race?

Every business will take on the personality of its owner.

Ever since I retired I have not broken, lost, or had to change my reading glasses.

A dead man's bedroom is an adventure to the bereaved, that is why I am so concerned with cleaning up, organizing, and streamlining.

When your mother or your father dies, you become a child all over again.

We have been eating at M.'s cafe more frequently. Less worries about what to cook, what to buy at the marketplace and at the grocery store, putting together ingredients, prepping, cleaning, and washing up cookware and dishes.

Bought two bean bag chairs for Aubrey's bedroom, in Nelson's memory. I recall that he'd always wanted one for his own bedroom.

"One needs many dreams to stay alive."

--Judge Dee in Murder in Canton by Robert van Gulik.

Good noon, Cubao!

The sky is a dome of sweet marshmallows.

Night Classes

All Wands must point to the earth.

Thought I'd be able to stay home the whole day tomorrow. As it turns out I need to buy bird seed (millet, black sunflower seeds, and chicken grower) because the aviary food supply has run out.

Hoping I don't get waylaid into buying another cap.

Dinner with Angelique, Aubrey, and J. at M.'s cafe.

A very quiet Tuesday night.

"This time I'll hold you forever/
This time we'll never end/"

When I was in graduate school it was au courant to cut off people by saying, "That's labeling." Afterward, "That's stereotyping". Years later the in thing was to say, "That's a sweeping generalization". Many more years later it was "That is unpolitically correct". And then it was "That is offensive to me".

How long did it take everyone to realize that the proper reply to these was, "So what? I have the right to speak my mind"?

It is distressing to me that so many proactive, outspoken, and righteous young people grow old and disappear into the woodwork.

Truth that is not immediately comprehensible is still truth.

Before you dispose of anything at home, ask the family members whether they want it for themselves. I am sometimes surprised at the items I have that my granddaughters want but never thought they did.

A chef without an oven is like a painter without a proper, professional grade easel.

Astonishing as it may seem to many, the people who are the most verbally aggressive and intimidating on social media are the gentlest and the most amiable in person.

Yet another indication that special media are vehicles of the Shadow.

Tuesday, Tuesday

Someone very kindly and very patiently accompanied me to the center to show me where I can have money changed.

Nature has strange ways that do not conform to the morals of human beings.

When a pond becomes too small for the population of fish, some of the fish leap out to die.

When food and water are not sufficient in a cage, the birds agree to kill one among them.

To wake up from a dream, gently take in the surroundings, and rise into the morning like the slow unfolding of a flower. To know that the day is at your command, and that no one and nothing can stand in your way from sunrise to sunset.

It's creepy, but highly amusing, when Friends you Added in that social medium suddenly change their account names and Profile pictures. You initially stare at the screen and ask yourself, "Who is this person and what is he doing in my Friends List?"

But then who am I to complain, considering my own account name there?

Good morning, Cubao!

Good progress on "Murder in Canton" last night.

Tiny House marathon. I wish that every bedroom in our house could be a tiny house. Our house then would be a tiny city.

In the story of Ibong Adarna, King Fernando had three sons: Don Pedro, Don Diego, and Don Juan. Although they went through many travails, in the end they married three different princesses and reconciled.

I love houses that look like lanterns at night, that is why I renovated our house that way.